the adulting project
personal blog of a random human person who does stuff and things, bakes, photogs, eats, emphasis on the eats and is slowly learning to become an adult. almost 30. except we don't talk about that. I have this phrase I use more than consistently. I say "I subscribe to..." And I follow it with a conception, for instance the last few weeks I've said "I subscribe to the notion that it's called a break up because it's broken." And "I subscribe to the notion that people don't change." I use this because a subscription can be cancelled. Sometimes with some of these things, I want to be wrong. I want it to be the exception, not the rule. It's better than saying "I believe that people don't change." Because I don't want to believe that. I want to believe that essentially people are good, but sometimes it's hard, so it's just a subscription and I can cancel it at any time.
I think I believe in quite a few things, important things. At least to me. Not to go all Audrey or anything, but "I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot." I believe that crying doesn't make you weak, it makes you human. I believe it's okay to be different, I believe it's important never to settle. I believe you should never fear the unknown, I believe you make your life better if you surround yourself with exceptional people, I believe hate is like holding onto a hot piece of coal and you need to learn to forgive. These are things I refuse to give up, I can't cancel my belief, because I accept them as true and real.
I think most people believe that some pain needs time to heal. Pain of finding out the country you live in is going to be run by a hate monger, pain of knowing that there's nothing one can do about it. At least not yet. I don't like to talk politics, and if you've read my blog much, ever, you know when I update, which is rare, I like to keep things light and talk about my horrendous love life, lack there of, and food. Today, however, after having a few days to allow things to really sink in, I just want to give myself an avenue to express a few words of belief. The last week has been a bit of a shit show for me in a few different ways, but after losing the ability to say "I voted for the first woman president", I felt an extra pang of grief and loss. I mean, I hope to still say that at some point soon. Yes, soon. But until then I believe that patience is a virtue and that speaking your mind now is more important than anything. We the people are free people and nothing can change that. Not even him.
And now I leave you with Seth. This made me cry, no fucking shame.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Work in the butter until the mixture holds together when you squeeze it, with whole almond-sized lumps of butter still visible. Mix the egg and milk, and add it to the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive.
Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a rough rectangle, smoothing the edges. Wrap in plastic or waxed paper, and refrigerate for 30 minutes; this will relax the gluten and firm up the dough a bit, making it easier to roll. You can also refrigerate the dough for up to 2 days; let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature before you roll it out.
Place one piece of the dough on a floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8 of an inch thick. Trim off the edges; place the scraps on a baking sheet, and set them aside, along with the rectangle of dough. Repeat with the second half of dough.
Press the edge of a ruler into the dough you've just rolled, to gently score it in thirds lengthwise and width-wise; you'll see nine rectangles.
Beat the egg, and brush it over the entire surface of the dough. Place a heaping tablespoon of your choice of jammy filling into the center of the rectangle. Place the second sheet of dough atop the first, using your fingertips or a chopstick to press firmly around each pocket of filling, sealing the dough well on all sides.
Press the tines of a fork (or the chopstick) all around the edge of the rectangle. Cut the dough evenly in between the filling mounds to make nine tarts. Press the cut edges with your fingers to seal, then press with a fork or chopstick to seal again.
Gently place the tarts on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork; you want to make sure steam can escape, or the tarts will become billowy pillows rather than flat toaster pastries. Refrigerate them, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Remove the tarts from the fridge, and bake them for 30 to 35 minutes at 350 °F., until they're a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan.
Once cooled, mix confectioners sugar, milk and flavoring together. Cover the top, ADD SPRINKLES